One choice
by 6-4 pilot
Summary: A single choice can have far-reaching consequences. What would have happen if Noel hadn't left Ragna at the beginning of Continuum Shift?
1. Chapter 1

**I have to admit, Blazblue is one of my favorite fighting games. And I wish it receives some more recognition. Though given the popularity of the heavy hitters like Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street fighter. I do understand why it's not as well known. That and the story is pretty complicated and confusing. Which actually interests me as I really do enjoy knowing the lore on a franchise. Now to business...I have to admit that I rather enjoy the pairing of Ragna and Noel. Not that the other pairings with him are bad, like Tsubaki and Ragna, or Nu, or Rachel, they all have their merits and I'm perfectly fine with them. And some of the stories involving them are done pretty well. (Especially the one called On Strange Wings by Velvien, which I have to commend the writer for making. It's really well done in my opinion.) It just that...I enjoy the pairing more. That and the one with Lambda, but enough of my ramblings. Now, I'll be honest, I wondered what would have happened if Ragna didn't drive Noel away during Continuum Shift. Lot's of things could have been prevented. So, I decided to give it a try. Also, can someone help with making a new name for this story. Cause I'm pretty bad at coming up with names. I would appreciate it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Blazblue**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Ragna sighed to himself as he and Noel were sulking in a rooftop on an unfinished building that was near the edge of the still under construction Kagutsuchi. The two had been traveling together for some time now and Ragna had been on edge now more than ever. After leaving the NOL branch, he'd been thinking about what Terumi said to him and how much it boiled his blood. Yet…he'd also been thinking about how much Noel looked so much like Saya. A bit too much, if you ask him, but still…it made him want to stay away from her, but also be around her. It confused him and he didn't like it. He was then snapped out of his thoughts when Noel began to talk to him.

"Mr. Bloodedge, sir?' Asked Noel timidly. "Can I…ask a few questions?"

"Why would I waste my breath with something so stupid." Said Ragna, looking at her with bored eyes. Hearing this made Noel shrink from hurt, which made him feel ashamed and annoyed.

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Asked Noel with hurt eyes. He winced at the hurt in her voice, but he kept talking.

"Just go away." Said Ragna without thinking. Noel looked hurt by this statement but shrugged it off.

"Okay, I'll go. But the next time we meet…it'll be as enemies." Said Noel with a shaky voice before walking away. Seeing her go made him question himself and what the hell he'd just did. Would he have done the same to Saya? And what would she say after seeing him turn away a girl that was confused and just wanted to talk to him? Plus, much as he'd rather not admit it, he'd rather liked having her around. Though he can make do without her clumsiness as well as her shyness. Sighing to himself, he called out to her just as she was about to take the stairs that would lead her out of the roof.

"Look, sorry about what I said. I…I didn't mean it." Said Ragna as he walked over to her. "Besides, I was getting tired of being alone. Might as well as have someone around to keep me company and prevent me from going crazy. Even if it's someone like you." Though a bit offended at the last remark, Noel nevertheless smiled. Just when she was about to converse with Ragna, he suddenly raised his head with an irritated expression. "Hey stalker guy. Care to show yourself or do I have to do it myself." He then grabbed his sword's hilt and pointed it toward the shadow of the building that was behind them. From out of the shadows emerged, to Noel's shock, Carl along with his faithful companion Nirvana. "The kid vigilante? You're serious?" Asked Ragna to no one in particular as he stared at the Carl. "Let me guess, you want the bounty on me, right?"

"Not really." Said Carl as his robotic companion stood still like a mannequin. "Though I will admit that it will be a nice bonus. I'd rather have your grimoire."

"Fat chance in that happening, kid." Spat Ragna as he adopted a fighting stance. Before it could divulge into a bloody battle, Noel stepped in between the two.

"Stop it, you two!" Yelled Noel, extending a hand for each of them. "Let's resolve this peacefully as possible." She then turned to Carl, who was shocked that Noel was protecting Ragna the Bloodedge. "Carl, I don't know what you want with Ragna's grimoire, but I want you to stop now. Please." Silence then ensued as Carl looked at Noel in thought. After awhile he sighed to himself.

"I'm sorry, Noel, but I have to do this. Not for me, but for my sister." Said Carl before getting into a fighting stance along with Nirvana. Seeing no way out of this except fight, Ragna held his sword and prepared for Carl's inevitable attack. As soon as Carl charged at him, he countered charged, forcing Noel to duck out of the way. As soon as Noel was out of the way, Ragna slashed at Carl with his sword, who was forced to duck out of the way. However, this caused Nirvana to take the hit, which, after a few more hits, caused her to shut down in order to repair herself. Gritting his teeth, Carl then threw a few of his gadgets at Ragna as a distraction before throwing a kick at him. The kick barely phased Ragna before he grabbed Carl and threw him aside. After landing roughly on the ground, Carl glared at the grim reaper.

" ***Sighs*** Give it a rest kid." Said Ragna as he looked at Carl with a bored expression. He may be a killer, but there's no way that he'll go all out on just a kid. A crazy kid, but still. Besides, without Nirvana, he's just a punk with a few toys. "I don't want to hurt you. Not too much anyway."

"Please, listen to Ragna, Carl." Said Noel, not wanting to see Carl get hurt. Hoping to make him listen, Noel summoned Bolverk as a means to intimidate him to surrendering. Seeing that he was outmatched, Carl just gritted his teeth. He then looked at Nirvana and sighed to himself.

"I'm sorry about this Noel." Said Carl with true regret. Confused at what he said, Noel then felt Nirvana's sharp claw-like fingers impale her from behind. "But I have to do this." He then charged at Ragna while he was distracted with the sudden surprise attack, managing to land a kick on Ragna's face, which was followed up with a punch from Nirvana, knocking him to the ground.

"Okay, that's it!" Yelled Ragna as he got up and charged. Morals be damned. He then threw a gauntlet hades at Carl before following it up with a hell spike. Not yet done, he used Carnage scissors on Carl as a finisher. As he laid on the ground, Carl moaned as he shakily got up, too weak to fight. Nirvana, meanwhile, stood in front of him, claws at the ready. As if hearing Nirvana speak, he then spoke.

"Alright, sis." Said Carl, struggling to get the words out. "We've got to get out of here."

"Yeah and stay out of my way, next time." Said Ragna as he stared down at Carl, who winced at the tone of voice Ragna was using. Seeing the battle was over, Nirvana grabbed Carl and jumped away to find a doctor. Seeing they were gone, Ragna rushed toward Noel, who was holding her stomach in order to stem the bleeding. "Shit, they did a number on you. Can you walk?" Asked Ragan as he examined her wound.

"I don't think so." Said Noel, struggling to get the words out as blood began to seep from her mouth. Cursing to himself, he then carried her bridal style, much to her embarrassment, before rushing to a certain village he knew at the bottom of Kagutsuchi, actually hoping that he'll make it on time.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Ragna sighed to himself as he watched the village elder as well as the Kaka tribe's best healer tried their best to tend to Noel's wound. Though the healer wasn't as good as Litchi or any certified doctor for that matter, he still tried his very best to help her, which was better than nothing. Seeing that that Noel was in the best hands available, he left for the hill near the village that had one of the few sources of sunlight available for the Kakas, but not before telling the elder where he's going. Upon going there, he sat on the grass there before closing his eyes. As he lay there resting, he had no idea how much had been changed because of his single choice.

* * *

 **First chapter is short, I know, but I'll try and make them longer. Now, I'm planning to make two crossovers with Blazblue, both with Ragna in it. One with Fairy Tail and one with RWBY. Problem is, I need to know what exactly happened to Ragna after Central Fiction because I have no idea what happened to him. I know he erased everyone's memories of him at the end and that he's stuck in the boundary with the master unit, but other than that, I have no further information on the matter. Please place your answer in either a review or PM me, which will be very appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **JudgeDevil and BlackSavior- Thank you for saying that. Now I understand the ending much better now.**

 **Murder Media- Yes, I know that technically she is his sister, but I can't stop myself from shipping them. This is probably the only exception though.**

* * *

Noel groaned to herself as she looked at her stomach wound. The Kakas did what they could to heal her, but it wasn't the same as going to a real medical professional. Still, it was enough that she could fight without any trouble. After getting up and placing her uniform, which was taken off in order to check her wound, much to her embarrassment, back on, she left the hut that she was in, so she can find Ragna. Fortunately, she managed to spot him when she saw him sparing with the girl that called her…lacking lady. After wincing from the memory of that name, she walked over to the fight and was pretty amazed with Ragna's fighting skills. Though somewhat unrefined and inelegant, he still seemed to perform them all flawlessly as they could be and didn't leave an openings for the cat lady to take advantage off. Plus, there seemed to be some sort of formal training in his moves, indicating that he was trained by someone, one that apparently didn't mind him making his own style. After performing on of his signatures moves on the cat, Ragna began to chuckle.

"Not bad, Tao." Said Ragna. "Feels good fighting someone that isn't after your bounty, arresting, or trying to kill you."

"Meow!" Said Tao after recovering. "Yeah, feels good not fighting someone that's not squiggly. Especially you, good guy!" A bit shocked at the nickname that Ragna received from this Tao person, Noel walked to the two as the two continued to converse.

"Ragna." Said Noel as she entered ear range of the two.

"Meow!" Said Tao with excitement as she saw lacking lady. "You're up, lacking lady. Good to see you again." Though frowning at the nickname, Noel still felt some relief that Tao was friendly.

"So, you okay?" Asked Ragna, back to his impassive face, though his tone held a degree of worry in it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Noel, a bit shocked at the care in his voice. "Nirvana didn't do too much damage."

"Glad to hear." Said Ragna, he then looked back at Tao. "So, wanna start that question game you wanted to do before that brat interrupted us."

"Of course, but can you not refer to him as a brat." Said Noel. "He was a classmate of mine back in the academy."

"Really?" Asked Ragna with some surprise. "Well, no wonder he looked so shocked at seeing fi that's the reason. Still, he's kind of a brat for trying to hurt you. Why would he do that, by the way?"

"No idea." Said Noel with worry. Wondering why her friend was so keen in attacking her if it meant going after Ragna. They meet before and they were forced to fight, all over Noel having knowledge on Ragna. "I'm worried for him. He was such a nice boy back at the academy. Shy, but so kind."

"Well, this world can change people." Said Ragna as he led Noel to the hilltop, while also shooing Tao away. "Usually for worse."

"You speak with experience." Said Noel as she laid on the grass.

"I do." Said Ragna as he looked at Noel, noticing the resemblance she had with his sister. Too uncanny if you ask him. "Look, I won't tell you yet. It's…personal."

"I understand." Said Noel as she looked at Ragna. "But you could still answer me why you attack NOL branches without discretion."

"That I can." Said Ragna, not caring who knew the real reason why he attacks the NOL. "Well, it's actually a bunch of reasons. For starters, the NOL are tyrants, taking what they want from people and not caring what they think."

"That seems…a bit extreme." Said Noel with some hesitation. "I know that the NOL did some bad things, but they're not that bad."

"Trust me, they are." Said Ragna. He then pointed to the village below them. "The Kakas are a good example. NOL just built Kagutsuchi over their village. Didn't even ask, they just did it. And now the Kakas are doomed to vanish without anyone knowing of their existence aside from me and probably a few others. Heck, the chief worries about that all day."

"Really?" Asked Noel in shock. "I never knew they'd did that."

"Well, that's obvious." Said Ragna. "Well, hope this helps you see the real thing. Anyway, there's another reason. Remember the place where we'd meet?" Upon seeing her nod, he continued. "Place has something called a cauldron. Things are used to create something called a Murakumo unit, an artificial being that capable of surviving in the boundary. The NOL are using them to…look for something in the boundary."

"That's…hard to swallow." Said Noel, not believing him. Seeing her unconvinced of the truth, Ragna just shrugged.

"It's true." Said Ragna. "Don't believe, then you can ask Jubei. He knows more than me."

"Jubei?!" Asked Noel, surprised. "The Jubei? One of the six heroes?"

"Yeah." Said Ragna. "He's the one that trained me." Noel then stared at him, shocked that one of the most, bravest heroes had trained the SS-class criminal. If Jubei trained him…then perhaps Ragna isn't as bad as the reports said he was.

"So, Jubei is fine with your…methods?" Asked Noel.

"Well I wouldn't say that." Said Ragna. "He's not okay with killing, but he also hates the NOL for all the stuff they did in the past. Heck, he said Kagutsuchi is an example of all the things wrong with the NOL and the world. But I place money that he'd won't approve killing every single NOL soldier that comes across me. Probably fine if they attack first though."

"Oh." Said Noel, a bit uncomfortable with the topic. "That aside, do you regret some of your murders?"

"Well…I guess." Said Ragna. "I mean some of the people I killed were just people trying to support their families, right?"

"Yeah." Said Noel, remembering her reason for joining the military academy, to help bring her family from the dirt.

"Well, moving on, anything else?" Asked Ragna.

"Just two." Said Noel. "Why did you change your mind about me staying?"

"Well, guess I can say it." Said Ragna. "It's because you look like my sister. Way too much if you ask me."

"Really?" Asked Noel, surprised. "You had a sister?"

"Yeah." Said Ragan. "We lived together in a church along with my brother and a nun. It was all good until tragedy happened, which I said I'll tell you later when I'm comfortable with telling it." Seeing her nod, he continued. "Well, what was your last question?"

"Well, what are you planning on doing now?" Asked Noel. "Go to another branch and do what you've been doing to the others?"

"Actually, I'm planning on sticking around for awhile." Said Ragna. "Something about this branch is off. Like off. When I entered the place, it was abandoned. No one was there. Not even the janitors."

"Really?" Asked Noel in shock. "Come to think of it, the only NOL officials here are major Katguacgi and captain Hazama."

"Terumi." Spat out Ragna before looking at Noel. "And that's the only ones?"

"Yes. No one that were originally posted here." Said Noel, making Ragna hum in thought. He was about to reply when his stomach growled, which soon followed with Noel's.

"*Chuckles* Whoa. That came out of nowhere." Said Ragna as Noel blushed in embarrassment. "Hey, how about we go get a bite to eat. Can't do anything on an empty stomach."

"Well…I am pretty hungry." Said Noel with a small smile, still embarrassed. "Alright. But only if it's quick. I rather not get arrested for eating with you."

"Hey, that's your fault, not mine." Said Ragna as the two walked out of the Kaka village for somewhere to eat.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"God dammit, not again." Said Ragna as he and Noel stared at a young boy in a ragged cloak, eating his twelfth bowl. "Just how much can he eat?"

"No idea." Said Noel as she stared. "Do you need me to pay?"

"You got enough?" Asked Ragna as the kid began to another bowl.

"…No." Said Noel.

"Sorry…*Slurps*…it's just that I've hadn't eaten such good food in a long time." Said the boy as he finished his last bowl.

"Yeah…so that stick of yours a Nox Nyctores?" Asked Ragna as he looked at the wrapped up stick.

"Yup." Said the boy. "Names Sena, by the way."

"And you said there's another in that body of yours?" Asked Noel, still wrapping her head in what Sena had told them while he was eating.

"Yup." Said Sena before going silent. Few seconds later, a tomboyish, female voice came out. Loudly.

"Thanks for the meals, suckers!" Yelled the female voice as she ate another bowl. "Luna would say thanks if you both weren't so stupid!"

"And I immediately want the other one back." Said Ragna as Noel recoiled at the rude girl.

"Shut up loser!" Yelled Luna. "You're just jealous that Luna wrecked your date with this boy here!"

"What the hell!?" Yelled Ragna, flustered. "You got a death wish for something!?"

"B-boy…" Whined Noel as she instantly went into a depression, mumbling that she was still developing.

"Death wish!? You're the one with a death wish if you think you can beat Luna!" Yelled Luna as she starred at Ragna, defiantly. "Luna was trained by master Jubei himself. And, unlike you, Luna was fully trained by him."

"Yeah…I doubt that." Said Ragna, though he was shocked a bit that this brat was trained by Jubei.

"What did you say, you pedophile, flat-loving, pervert!" Yelled Luna.

"Luna!" Yelled Sena as he looked over to Noel, who was even more depressed.

"Okay, that's it." Said Ragna, finally losing his temper. "I have no intention of taking any more of this bullshit. So, I'm going to count to five and if you both are still here, I'm going to kill both of you."

"Uh…that's unpleasant." Said Sena, taking over. "I'll just be going now." The boy then ran away as Luna spat out insults to both Noel and Ragna. Sighing to himself, Ragna went over to the waitress for the bill as Noel tried to recover from her depression. Just as she was passing him the bill, the woman squinted at him.

"Sir, aren't you that criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge?" Asked the waitress.

"Uhh…no, you got me confused with someone else." Said Ragna with a nervous chuckle.

"No…I remember you from somewhere. Wait! Yes! Your wanted for dine and dashing!" Said the woman as she glared at the grim reaper.

"What!?" Yelled Ragna. "No, I'm not! Actually…that kind of sounds cool."

"Not only that, but I also heard you're the patron saint of poverty!" Said the woman

"I only feed two people! Besides, it's "Grim Reaper." Said Ragan annoyed by the woman.

"And you're also known for lusting over your own brother." Said the woman.

"What the hell!?" Yelled Ragna. "Whose spreading these rumors!? Besides, I'm into young gir… Wait that's even more wrong."

"Run! It's a pervert!" Yelled the woman to the remaining customers.

"C'mon!" Yelled Ragna as he clenched his hair. "My reputation is bad enough without being labeled as a pervert. He then walked to Noel, who had just recovered from her depression. He was about to tell her that they need to leave when suddenly the lights flickered off.

"What the…" Said Noel as room turned dark.

"Aww…crap." Said Ragna as he got ready for a fight. Suddenly, a black ball of energy appeared out of nowhere in mid-air and out came a young girl wearing a black body suit with armor. The armor, visor, and the floating swords behind her, all reminded Noel and Ragna of a certain someone.

"A Murakumo unit?" Said Ragna as he withdrew his sword. Noel just looked shocked at seeing a girl that resembled the one that tried to kill her back in the cauldron. As the girl rambled on about pointless chatter, suddenly Ragna began hearing a voice in his heard, one that he knew.

"What the hell, Kokonoe?" Asked Ragna as he heard Kokonoe ramble on about data or something. "Why are you bugging me? Looking to get my Grimoire?" Kokonoe just laughed when she heard this.

"Your Grimoire? Hah!" Said Kokonoe. "I couldn't care less about that worthless thing. Nah, something went wrong with the teleportation equipment. Still, it's a good stroke of luck, because I found the true successor of the Azure here."

"The true successor? What, you mean Noel?" Asked Ragna as Noel was getting confused with what's going on.

"Not important, right now." Said Kokonoe. "But yeah, I mean Noel. Look, I don't have time to explain this to you Bloodedge. Just give Noel to me and we'll leave you alone."

"No way in hell!" Said Ragna, getting ready for a fight. "She's not going anywhere until you tell me what you want with her."

"Hmm. Gonna be like that, huh?" Said Kokonoe, a bit annoyed. Her expression then turned thoughtful. "Still this could be a good opportunity to test her out…ah well, might as well do this the hard way. Lambda, capture Noel Vermillion and take out Ragna."

"Affirmative. Engaging combat mode." Said the now named Lambda before charging at Ragna, who sidestepped and swung. The Murakumo dodged the attack before counterattacking with her floating swords, which forced Ragan to jump back to avoid.

"Hey, Noel! Care to help!" Yelled Ragna as he fought against the Murakumo. Noel, who was still confused at what transpired between Ragna and Kokonoe, shook her head to snap out of her trance.

"Got it!" Said Noel before summoning Bolverk. She then opened fire at Lambda, scoring perfect hits, forcing her to prioritize Noel. Lambda sent several of her swords at Noel, who was forced to take cover in order to avoid the blades. Fortunately, Ragna used this opportunity to grab Lambda with his right arm, which was covered in dark energy in the form of a massive clawed hand. Multiple tendrils then launched at her from the ground along with the clawed hand. Seeing that the Murakumo was being overwhelmed, Kokonoe had her teleported away, not wanting her ace in the hole to be damaged beyond repair.

"Hmm…seems I'm going to have to make adjustments in regard to fighting multiple opponents." Said Kokonoe with a sigh. "Alright, you win Ragna, this time. But I am going to take Noel."

"And I'm betting your going to use Tager on us, huh?" Said Ragna, sarcastically.

"You know me too well." Said Kokonoe. "Alright, before I go, let me give you a piece of advice. Don't try and fight Terumi. You can't beat him. Also, make sure that Noel is safe and sound. He wants her too."

"What?" Why the hell would he want Noel? And what do you mean I can't beat him?" Asked Ragna, both angry and confused at what Kokonoe was saying.

" ***Sighs in irritation*** Terumi has an ace in the hole against you. He has the ability to…" Before she could say it, the transmission suddenly got static. "What the hell? Something jamming us! Listen, just keep Noel safe. She's the key to Terumi's pl…" The transmission then suddenly ended.

"Hey! What do you mean by that! ***Sighs*** Well, this certainly complicates thing." Said Ragna. He then turned Noel, who looked worried and confused at what had just been revealed.

"Why does Terumi want me?" Asked Noel, confused. "And who is this true successor of the Azure?"

"Well, looks like it's you, you idiot." Said Ragna, making Noel frown at the insult. "And I don't know why Terumi wants you, though you can't be good. Let's get out of here. Find somewhere quiet and safe to talk more." He then took Noel's arm and took off. Unfortunately, the waitress spotted this.

"You're dine and dashing again!" Yelled the waitress. Not having this, Ragna then tossed Noel over his shoulder and ran out to gods knows where. As he ran, Noel was squealing and hitting his shoulder, telling him to put her down.

* * *

 **Rōnin district of Kagutsuchi**

 **Motel**

* * *

"Damn, can't believe that we managed to get a room in this district." Said Ragna as he watched Noel finding with her hands. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking what girl said. Kokonoe, right?" Said Noel. Seeing him nod, she continued. "You think that Terumi will do anything to capture me? And Kokonoe too?"

"Probably. Terumi, most definitely. And I seriously doubt that Kokonoe wants to rely on anyone to do her job." Said Ragna. "If you want the reassurance, then I promise you. That I'll protect you and keep you safe." Hearing this, Noel let out a charming smile, something that Ragna found cute.

"Thanks." Said Noel. "How about I cook for you as a thank you?"

"Why not?" Said Ragna. Wondering if she was a competent cook.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"I shouldn't have trusted you." Said Ragna, barely able to say the words. Noel, while looking apologetic, was tending to Ragna while he was recovering the stew that she made. As he was recovering from the disaster of dinner, Ragna swore to never eat her cooking ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **BlackSavior-Thank you for the criticism. I hope that I can adequately justify those in any following chapters.**

* * *

Noel hummed to herself in content as she watched Ragna put on his signature jacket. The two had been sharing a bed together, much to her embarrassment, because Ragna didn't have enough to afford a room with two beds. It wasn't that bad, really. It was just sleeping with a guy. Guy with an extremely high bounty and had killed hundred, but still a guy. Something that she'd had never done in her entire life. It was…kind of exciting actually. Plus, considering what he'd told her yesterday, he actually was kind of a good guy. He swears a lot and has a bad temper, but no one was perfect. He'd still needed to be brought in for his crimes, but, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not like she could, anyway. Sighing to herself, she walked alongside Ragna as the two went to get some breakfast.

"So, how come no one is trying to attack you?" Asked Noel as people passed by them, not even noticing the infamous Ragna the Bloodedge.

"Concealment Ars." Said Ragna simply. "Use it whenever I need to go out in public for long periods of time. That and…my wanted poster is a little misleading." He then frowned remembering the inaccurate picture that came with the flier about his bounty.

"That and the fact that you're considered the most dangerous man in the world." Stated Noel.

"That too." Said Ragna, having gotten used to being around her now, despite her resemblance to Saya. Which may be the reason he spilled out his backstory to her in the first place. That or the fact he was in a good mood that day. "Anyway, hope you're not too hungry, cause I don't have that much on me."

"Don't worry, I can pay." Said Noel, bring out a purse of hers. "It's the least I can do for you paying for the room."

"Alright." Said Ragna, willing to let her pay. "But this better not have people whispering about how bad of a boyfriend I am." He smirked when Noel blushed in embarrassment at his remark.

"I-it's not like that." Said Noel, lowering her head. "We're just two people going out for food. If you want I can give you the money so that won't happen." She then pulled some platinum bills out of her purse before giving them to Ragna. She then placed it in her little pocket dimension Ars, where she kept Bolverk as well, among several other things. Chuckling in amusement, Ragna just escorted her to the cheapest restaurant and ordered. As they waited for their food, Noel had the itch to speak with him again.

"So, do you still speak with Jubei?" Asked Noel.

"A few times." Said Ragna. "Haven't seen him in a while, though."

"Oh." Said Noel. "You have others in your life?"

"…Yeah." Said Ragna. "Though they are annoying as shit or just plain irritating. Especially that rabbit."

"Rabbit?" Asked Noel, confused.

"Yeah, bitch vampire that looks like a girl with ribbons that make her look like a rabbit." Explained Ragna. "Bitch has been nothing, but condescending me since we meet."

"She sounds kind of arrogant." Said Noel.

"She is." Said Ragna. "Still, she isn't too bad, helped me a few times. Still a bitch, though."

"You really need to use this much language?" Asked Noel with a frown.

"Whenever I have the chance." Said Ragna with a smirk. "Anyway, other than that butler of hers and her cats, that's pretty much everyone that's not trying to actively kill me that I can qualify as 'friends'." He said the last word with so much sarcasm that she wondered if he has any actual friends. Other than Tao, she was really the only one that she saw him be nice to. She was about to talk with him when a waiter came with their order. As she ate, she couldn't help, but look at him. If she was completely honest, he was actually pretty handsome. His white, spikey hair, different-colored eyes, undoubtedly strong body due to carrying that massive sword of his and his face would have attracted so many girls from her military academy days. Plus, his bad boy attitude would have helped. Noel, herself, would have admitted that she would be attracted too. Not from the previously mentioned reasons, no, though it would certainly help. Rather, it was his seemingly caring attitude to those he cares about. She only saw that part of him a few times, but when he showed it, it showed that he wasn't just a mindless killer. He genuinely cared for people and was willing to fight against a government that he deemed evil, even if it meant that the people would be afraid of him. Such actions were something that Noel admired. She was going to state more when Ragna turned around and rose an eyebrow at her starring. Squeaking in embarrassment, Noel turned around, blushing madly. Ragna just smirked as he went back to starring at the window, having finished his food earlier.

He was currently thinking on what he had said to Noel yesterday. He wasn't entirely telling the truth to her. At least not initially. During the first years of his crusade against the NOL, he only cared about destroying the cauldrons in the hierarchical cities. Anything else he just ignored. Truth be told, he didn't bat an eye when he heard about the Ikaruga civil war. That all changed when he witnessed the atrocities the NOL was wiling to go to get rid of him. It was back when he destroyed two cauldrons. The NOL had discovered that he was currently hiding out in a village, safe from lethal Seithr levels. So, they sent a company of troops to eliminate him. They bombed the village from the sky before sending in their troops. It was a slaughter. The NOL troops killed anyone that survived the initial airstrike, which weren't much Ragna tried his best to fight them off, but the damage was done. Only a few survived. He sighed as he remembered the day that added to his reasons to stop the NOL.

* * *

 **Few years ago**

* * *

"Dead Spike!" Yelled Ragna as he fired a projectile the shape of a monster head at a group of NOL soldiers. As the head ripped them apart, he sliced in half another group of NOL soldiers. "Damn library dogs." After swiping the blood off his sword, he scoured the burning wreckage of the village, hoping to find survivors. He had already saved an old couple that took him in, but that was it. He growled when he passed burning corpses and dead bodies, the NOL were relentless in having his head. After scouring nearly all parts of his admittedly small village, he was about to say screw it and see if the old couple was safe when he heard some screaming. Rushing toward where he thought it was he spotted a group of NOL soldiers standing in front of two people, a man and a young boy. The man was clutching his right shoulder, which was bleeding, while placing his body in front of the boy.

"Wait. Wait. I have my son here. We're unarmed." Said the man as had the boy stand behind him. The soldiers looked at each other in hesitance before one brought out his rifle. "Wait, stop! Please, I'm all he's got." The NOL soldiers didn't respond before shooting him in the head. They were about to move in on the child when Ragna stepped in. With a flick of his sword, a dark wave of energy engulfed the NOL soldiers, sending them flying to a burning building. Uncaring about the dead soldiers, he went over to the kid and dead man.

"What's wrong with him? Why isn't he moving?" Asked the boy, obviously in denial that his father was dead. Ragna just stayed silent before walking over to the kid, not really knowing what to say. Rather, he just sighed and grabbed the kid's hand.

"Relax, I'm a friend of your dads." Lied Ragna as he led the kid away from the corpse. Staying silent as the kid struggled in his firm grip.

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

After finding a few more people and getting them to safety, did Ragna tell the kid what happened. Naturally, the kid broke down and had to be comforted by some other people. Ragna couldn't because he was honestly shit when it came to doing nice things then. He would have just left and be done with it when he heard that the father was really all he had.

* * *

 **Few years ago**

* * *

"Kid asleep?" Asked Ragna as he packed what things the survivors gave him in a bag. Despite being a criminal, the survivors were grateful that they saved him, so they gave him what little food and money they could spare.

"Why yes." Said the old man that took him in. "My wife is tending to him now." The man that sighed. "Poor thing. His father was all he had left."

"Really?" Said Ragna with a raised eyebrow. "No other family."

"Used to." Confirmed the old man. "Two sisters and a mother. One of the sister's died from an illness while the mother and the other sister died from an accident involving wild life." Ragna just stayed silent. "The boy will be taken care of by us, we'll treat him as if he was our own. Go on, sir, you've quite a journey ahead."

"Right." Said Ragna before taking off, wondering why the old couple treated him like a normal guest and not a wanted criminal. Earlier he asked and the answer he got just left him confused. They said he was a good man at heart, but he didn't see it. Sighing, he just pressed on.

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

To this day, he'd still didn't know why they thought he was good. What he can be sure of, was that his reasoning to hating the NOL has heightened. He knew they wanted his head, but he didn't think they'll go that far. And the boy's backstory reminded him of his own, just with some differing details. The boy's helplessness at seeing his loved one being gunned down reminded him of how he couldn't save his siblings or his mother figure from Terumi. And that was just one example, as the years went by and he continuously destroyed the cauldrons beneath the hierarchical cities, he became more and more knowledgeable of how corrupt the NOL was to the point that even he had to admit the NOL needed to be brought down. Sighing in sadness, he looked to see Noel looking at him in worry.

"You okay?" Asked Noel, wondering why he had a sad look on his face.

"Yeah. Just remembering some depressing shit." Said Ragna before paying the bill. As the two walked around, Noel spotted something that caught her eye. She turned her head and saw someone wearing a Wing of Justice cloak, surrounding by a crowd of people. Blinking in surprise, she rubbed her eyes and looked again, but saw no one wearing the uniform. Frowning, she followed Ragna as he led them to a park. After finding a bench to sit on, the two began conversing again.

"Do you plan to find out what happened to this branch today?" Asked Noel as she watched some children playing.

"Might as well." Said Ragna. "Curiosity is killing me. And you're coming with me. Don't really trust anyone that can keep you safe."

"The Kaka clan might do it." Suggested Noel, though she was actually glad that Ragna wanted her around.

"Might work." Said Ragna. "But most are piss-poor fighters when you're discovered hiding there. When do you want to leave?"

"Well." Said Noel, hesitantly. Rubbing her feet on the ground in embarrassment. "I was hoping that we could just stick around here for the day and do the searching tomorrow. I figured you may need something like that. Not that it's necessary!" Said Noel quickly upon seeing Ragna raise an eyebrow. "We can go today if you want."

"Good." Said Ragna. "But, I guess we can stay here for a while. It's…peaceful."

"Yeah, it is." Said Noel with a smile as she watched the kids play around. She blushed in embarrassment when she saw a young couple smiling at them knowingly. Going back to Ragna, she noticed that he closed his eyes, obviously wanting to take the moment of peace in as long as possible. Seeing this, she closed her eyes as well and tried to enjoy the moment of peace. Their peaceful moment didn't last long, however, when they heard loud steps approaching them. They opened their eyes and turned around to see Tager, the red devil of sector seven.

"Ahem. I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm here to acquire Noel Vermillion." Said the red devil, trying to do this the easy way, despite knowing the futility of such an attempt.

"Knew that Kokonoe would send you sooner rather than later." Said Ragna as he held his sword. "You already know my answer, red-devil."

"And mine as well." Said Noel, timidly bringing out Bolverk. "I won't become a pawn for sector seven."

"It won't be that, my dear." Said Tager. "We merely want to protect you." Though Tager suspected that wasn't the case with Kokonoe.

"Even still, I'd rather be with Ragna than you." Said Noel, willing to be with the Grim Reaper than an unknown.

"I understand." Said Tager, having seen the touching moment before them. Such an act wasn't possible with people that didn't trust each other. "But I have my orders." He then readied his fists, which were pulsing out electricity. "Prepare yourselves!"

"Oh, I'm more than ready for you!" Yelled Ragna as he charged. Upon getting close, Ragna slammed his sword again Tager, who merely scoffed at the attack before doing his own attack, forcing Ragna to pull back. He then fired a ball of electricity at Ragna, which quickly sped over him. Ragna blocked the attack, but felt a tingling sensation as a result. Tager just dashed to Ragna before grabbing him and slamming into the floor, creating a small crater. He then raised a hand, blocking a barrage of fire from Noel, before dashing at Noel. Being so far away from Tager, Noel was safe from most of his attacks so she kept firing at him, though they proved fruitless as Tager simply trudged on, the projectiles doing little against him and his barrier. Ragna, having recovered, charged at the red devil, his right fist covered in a dark aura. Sensing this, Tager turned around and grabbed Ragna again. Before he could slam him into the ground again, Tager was suddenly hit in the back, causing him to drop Ragna and go to the ground. Ragna looked back to see Noel with a different weapon, a large bazooka. Smirking, Ragna slammed his fist at Tager, who was getting up. The red-devil was undamaged and was about to attack again when Ragna dashed, hitting with his sword before doing so again using his Azure Grimoire this time to create an X-shaped attack on Tager. He then followed it up with a Hell's Fang while Tager was in the air, sending him back to a tree, breaking it.

"God damn it." Said Ragna as he held his hand, which was a bit sore from hitting Tager. "You…big hunk of metal."

"Most impressive." Said Tager. "Your struggle before indicates that you've never faced someone like me before, but it seems that you've adapted."

"Whatever." Said Ragna as Noel came right besides him. "Ready for round two?"

"Much as I want to avoid this, my orders still stand." Said Tager before charging rather slowly at the two. Noel and Ragna looked at each other before attacking, Ragna charging at Tager while Noel hit from afar. As Ragna charged at Tager, he readied his sword for an uppercut. Tager, anticipating Ragna to charge recklessly, readied to grab him again when, to his surprise, Ragna jumped and kicked him in the face before slamming his sword to said face. He then jumped off before a barrage of bullets hit Tager, followed by a rocket.

"Jeez." Said Ragna as he saw Noel land. "A little warning next time." Those projectiles nearly hit him.

"I'm sorry." Said Noel, looking apologetic. "I'm not used to fighting with someone this reckless." Ragna would have responded when Tager, not out of the fight just yet, got up. Having enough of this, Ragna attacked him with his sword before turning it into it's scythe form. He then slashed him multiple times, draining Tager's life force in the process, before draining it in a massive amount, briefly turning Ragna completely black with red veins and dark eyes. He then finished it all off with a final stab, sending Tager flying again. Having completely healed due to the massive drainage of Tager's lifeforce, Ragna began to taunt the red-devil, who was completely exhausted.

"That all you can take?" Asked Ragna as Tager struggled to get up. "Because I'm ready for more."

" ***Sighs*** I'm afraid not." Said Tager as warning signs flooded his sight. "You've beaten me. The both of you. I'm afraid that I must retreat for repairs." He then got up, though he struggled to do so. "Before I leave, I must tell you to guard Noel with your life. She's the key to Terumi's plan."

"Yeah, I know. He wants her." Said Ragna. "Anything else?"

"Yes, don't engage Terumi." Said Tager as a portal took him away.

"But why, damnit!" Yelled Ragna as he clenched his fist in frustration. He was about to go ballistics when Noel tapped on his shoulder.

"We should go." Said Noel, overseeing all the destruction they caused to the park. Ragna just sighed before nodding, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the park.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

While Ikaruga ninjas were investigating what happened to the park, a person wearing a Wing of Justice cloak was overseeing the destruction.

"This must be the work of that criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge." Said the Wing of Justice member, the voice clearly feminine. "He has a lot to answer for." She then took off in an effort to continue her mission, one that she had troubles with. As she walked, she heard a couple of people talk.

"So, get this, an NOL girl was seen eating with the Grim Reaper." Said a woman as her friends gasped in surprise.

"For real?"

"It's true. I saw it. Think that's his girlfriend?"

" ***Shrugs*** Probably." Said the first woman.

"Uh, excuse me." Said the Wing of Justice member before removing her mask, revealing a young woman with red hair and blue eyes. "Would this girl seen with the grim Reaper be blond and has green eyes?" She hoped that it wasn't who she thought it was. To her dismay, the women just nodded. She then bit her lip. "Did she also have a chest that's flat as a board?"

"Oh yeah." Said the third woman, inadvertently causing the red-head to be filled with despair and sadness. "You can easily mistake her for a boy if it weren't for the dress and voice."

"…I see. Carry on." Said the red-head before putting the mask on and leaving. As she walked, she began to thought of Noel.

" **Oh why, Noel. Why are you working with the Grim Reaper?"** Thought the girl before walking on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **I would like to apologize for this late update. I won't excuse this at all, aside from writer's block.**

 **TheThotAudit-**

 **Really, well I always thought of Tager to be such a nice guy that he'll say something like that. Although I could be wrong about and I'll redo that scene to better fit his character.**

 **Actually, I think you're right, its just that, in my opinion, since Ragna didn't fight something like Tager before, at least to my knowledge, he'll struggle a bit in the first few minutes of a fight. He always seemed to me as the kind of fighter, at least to CT to CS, that struggles with opponents with new fighting styles at first before adapting and wrecking them hard later on. I assure you, if that fight went on longer, Tager would have been beaten by Ragna for sure, no denying that. Also I feel like Relius can give him some trouble, during CT to CS, as well because that guy managed to take on Valkenhayn with ease, but that's just my take on powerlevels. (I suck at gauging power levels of characters.)**

 **As for the Noel thing, you're completely right. I can see him doing stuff like that to keep Noel safe. Anyway on to the chapter.**

* * *

Noel was humming to herself as she watched Ragna informed the inn's owner that they're leaving. After paying the woman, he walked up to Noel and told her that they're leaving now. As they were walking to the NOL's headquarters in Kagutsuchi, Noel talked to Ragna.

"So, what are you going to do once you're in the branch headquarters' exactly?" Noel asked.

"Just try to figure out exactly happen there." Ragna said. "After that, I'm going to go to other hierarchical cities and destroy their cauldrons."

" **And anyone that gets in your way."** Noel thought as they walked. She was still a bit unnerved that Ragna was fine with murder, even though he told her that he knew that some people he killed had families and the like. Perhaps she could steer him away from that? Thinking about it for some time, she immediately dismissed the idea. She doubted she could have that much of an impact on Ragna, even though she was probably one of his few…friendly acquaintances. Moving on, she tried to start up a conversation with him.

"So, we did great together against Tager, right?" This caused Ragna to look at her before resuming his walk.

"Yeah, I guess. Could have easily taken him on my own, though. Really didn't need your help."

"Really?" Noel asked before squeaking upon seeing Ragna turn to her. "I'm sorry. It's just that I wanted to help after seeing you get hit by Tager. I didn't think you couldn't handle him or anything!"

 **"*Sighs*** Relax. Jeez. You seriously need to work on your confidence. Besides, I didn't ask you to stay away from that fight. You could have intervened anytime you wanted to."

"Okay." Noel said, relieved that Ragna wasn't mad. "So, you could have easily taken down Tager without breaking a sweat?"

"Oh, hell yeah. All, he got were a few lucky shots and that's it. Trust me, I could have annihilated him if that fight dragged on. Still," He then smirked. "I guess we do make a pretty good team."

"Yeah, I guess so." Noel said with a small smile. "You get up close and personal, and I provide support with Bolverk."

"Yup. But," He then turned serious. "Don't intervene in any fight I tell you not to get involved in. Even if it looks like I need it." Noel looked surprised at this and spoke to Ragna.

"How come? Wouldn't it be better to work together?"

"Just trust me. I'll only do it if its serious enough. If it isn't, then join in. If it is, just stay back and do what I say." Noel, disappointed at the answer, just nodded her head in understanding, though she wondered why he was against her teaming up with him in certain fights. Unknown to her, Ragna was keeping the reason for himself. Much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't too keen to see someone look so much like Saya be hurt. She can take care of herself, no question about that, but the thought of seeing her hurt by Terumi was something that he rather not see come to life. So, if they ever fought against Terumi or someone of comparable strength, he'll force her to run while he held him back. Besides, his beef with Terumi was something that he had to do alone, no matter what.

As they were walking, Noel thought about her mission in Kagutsuchi. Her original mission was to bring back major Kisaragi, through force or peaceful means. However, so much had happened while she was here and she never had found the major anywhere. Only seeing him once when he was unconscious after a fight, likely caused by Ragna. After that one encounter, she never saw him again. She hoped that he was alright and wasn't in trouble. The two were walking down the streets of Kagutsuchi when suddenly they heard a voice yell out to them.

"Lieutenant Vermillion! Explain yourself!" A female figure yelled as she approached them. The two turned and saw that the female was with the NOL's intelligence division as she wore the black uniform of said division. They also noticed that she was a beastman due to her large, fluffy, brown tail.

"Uh…I can explain, ma'am." Noel said with haste, though she knew that it wouldn't matter. The intelligence officer would immediately report this in and she would be branded as a traitor for being with Ragna the Bloodedge. Maybe she could…

"I would so enjoy hearing how you came across the Grim Reaper and are now with him like he was your friend or something." The Intelligence officer said with amusement.

"Got a problem?" Ragna asked as he looked at the officer, who simply hummed.

"Hmm…depends on you." The officer said before gaining a more serious tone. "Are you causing any trouble for her." Ragna just rose an eyebrow at that before speaking.

"Why the hell should I say that?" Ragna said.

"Because I'll take her away right now if you don't and if you're putting her in a lot of danger." That caused Ragna to grip his sword's hilt.

"That a threat? Because I can easily take you on."

"Ragna." Noel said, worried about how this will go down. "Please don't do this. Let's try and negotiate." She then turned to the officer. "Please, ma'am, there's nothing wrong here. I'm just doing my assigned mission when I bumped into the Grim Reaper."

"Really?" The officer asked. "Then how come I spotted you hanging out with him in the park after fighting the red devil of sector seven?" Hearing that made Noel wince. No point in trying to deceive her.

" **My family is doomed."** Noel thought sadly as she thought about her adopted parents. This will certainly not help their image. If anything, it'll tarnish it even more than it already was. She was about to shed a tear when the officer began to sigh.

"Geez, Noel. You haven't changed one bit." The officer said upon seeing her lips began to shake. She then removed the mask she wore to conceal her identity, revealing a brown-haired girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. Upon seeing the officer's face, Noel gasped in recognition.

"Makoto!?" Noel yelled happily before tackling the officer, who laughed in amusement. Pausing a bit at seeing a strange site, Ragna nevertheless cracked a smile at seeing such a tender moment, though it quickly went away. Once that was done, the two began to talk.

"So, what's going on Noellie?" Makoto asked before she turned a bit serious. "How come you're with Ragna the Bloodedge?" Hearing that made Noel sigh.

"It's a long story, but let's take somewhere safe and away from prying eyes." Noel said as she noticed that people were beginning to stare. Makoto nodded at that. So, the three went to some back alley and upon checking that no one would eavesdrop on them, Noel began to explain the whole situation to Makoto. Once she was done, Makoto pursed her lips in thought.

"…Well, that's quite a story Noel." Makoto said. "You've been through a lot, Noel."

"Yeah." Said Noel while closing her eyes. "Its been a hectic few days. So, what brings you here?"

"Well, based on your story, you already know that the Kagutsuchi branch is empty." Said Makoto. Noel had told her everything based on her perspective except for a few details, like being stabbed by Carl's doll thing, fighting two females that freaked her out for some reason, and captain Hazama. Though Ragna filled in those details that Noel refused to mention, making her glare at him in exasperation. Though Makoto was annoyed with Noel for making information from her with a few more details from his side of the story, she nevertheless forgave her friend. After all, the stuff that she didn't mention wasn't exactly believable. "I've been tasked with investigating why that was."

"That's easy." Said Ragna. "Terumi did it. He's the reason they're gone." Seeing that he had her attention, he explained. "Terumi used them to make a Murakumo unit. You already know what it does."

"Yeah." Said Makoto, remembering what Ragna told her about Murakumo units. "All that stuff you said is a bit contrived, though. Terumi is a bad guy and is captain Hazama? That all seems…farfetched."

"It's true though." Said Ragna. "Terumi is up to something and it involves something with the boundary. Noel and I are going to investigat the Kagutsuchi branch's headquarters. See, if we can't find anything about what happened here. And you?"

"Well, I got something to do here. Direct orders." Said Makoto. "We'll probably see each other again after this, especially since you have my best friend. So, expect that."

"I have no doubt on that." Said Ragna before looking at Noel. "You two seem close."

"Well duh, she's one of my closets friends!" Said Makoto. "And you better take care of her or else!"

"Like I'm going to let anything happen to her." Said Ragna, making Makoto raise an eyebrow before smirking mischievously.

"Okay, but can I speak to Noel alone for a few minutes?" Asked Makoto. Ragna looked at Noel, who nodded. Seeing that she was alright with it, Ragna left them and began to watch over the back alley. Seeing that he was gone, Makoto looked at Noel.

"He didn't try anything on you, Noel?" Asked Makoto. Shocked at hearing this, Noel began to respond back.

"No, he didn't Makoto!" Said Noel. "He may be known for being a murder and terrorist, but not a rapist!"

"I know that." Said Makoto, shocked that Noel thought she believed Ragna was that type of person. "Its just that, I'm afraid that he hurt you or anything."

"Well, he did one time, but we reconciled at the end." Said Noel. "Since then, we've been on good terms…kinda." Makoto just nodded.

"And you're following him because…" Asked Makoto, wondering why her friend was with the most wanted criminal in the world.

" ***Sighs*** Well, I'm also curious about what happened in the branch. If what Ragna said is true, then we need to bring Terumi for justice for all those deaths." Said Noel. Makoto just nodded in agreement. "Besides…, he's actually quite nice once you get to actually know him." Raising an eyebrow at that, Makoto just ignored it and asked one more question.

"One more." Said Makoto before donning a mischievous smile. "You sure you're not following him because you like him?" Hearing that made Noel blush hard and began to stutter.

"W-w-w-What!?" Yelled Noel. "I-I don't like him that way!"

"I don't know. Lot's of shy girls like bad boys like him and you were saying he was a nice guy not too long ago." Said Makoto, enjoying this. As Noel denied her accusations, Makoto looked at Ragna looking at them with a raised eyebrow, obviously wondering about the commotion. Seeing Makoto waving her hand to tell him its under control, Ragna just went back to gazing the street for anything remotely interesting. Looking back at Noel, Makoto saw that Noel was still blushing. "I'm just yanking your chain, Noel. Besides, if you did like him that way, I won't judge, but others sure will." Noel knew that as well. If word gets out that she was dating Ragna the Bloodedge, the back lash would be severe, both to her and her parents.

"I know." Said Noel. "But I don't like him that way!"

" **Ahh classical denial. I'm so betting 50 platinum dollars that they'll get together.** " Thought Makoto before smiling. "Whatever you say, Noel. I'll be taking off now. See ya, Noel." With that, Makoto began to leave the alley way. After passing Ragna, she looked at him.

"You better take care of her or else, I'll hunt you down and make you regret being born." Said Makoto with a serious look, but also a playful tone. Rolling his eyes at this, Ragna just replied that he will and watched as the girl left. Once she did, Noel came up to him, blushing a bit.

"What happened?" Asked Ragna. All he heard was Noel yelling and that was it.

"N-nothing!" Yelled Noel before grabbing Ragna's hand and making him follow her. "Let's just go to the branch headquarters." Raising an eyebrow, Ragna just followed her after taking back his hand. As they walked, Ragna began to make a conversation with her.

"So, what do you plan to do after this little adventure of ours is over?" Asked Ragna.

"Well, if I haven't done so upon the completion of this little adventure, I'm going after major Kisaragi and bring him back to the main NOL headquarters. He wasn't supposed to be here in the first place." Explained Noel.

"Its because of me." Said Ragna.

"Because of you?" Asked Noel, curious.

"Yeah…about that." Said Ragna. "He's…actually my little brother." Hearing that made Noel stop and look at Ragna, shock all over her face.

"He's your brother!?" Asked Noel. "But you two looked so different." She knew Jin was adopted, but she didn't think he was related to Ragna.

"Yeah, I guess I can see that." Said Ragna. He had white hair and heterochromia while Jin was blond and had green eyes. Sure he had a green eye, but considering their back stories, him being an outcast and Jin being adopted by a royal family of the NOL, one can assume they're not related. "It's complicated." Hearing this made Noel wonder about Ragna's childhood. He didn't tell her about much, other than indicating that he and his siblings had a good life together until something happened. She thought about multiple scenarios, each worse than the last. Since he was likely not to tell her what exactly happened yet, she could only assume that something terrible happened that killed the nun and his sister while also separating him and Jin.

"Does Jin know your brothers?" Asked Noel.

"Oh yeah." Said Ragna. "Constantly reminds me during our fight. Kind of wished he forgot. Otherwise he wouldn't want to kill me as much."

"He wants you dead?" Asked Noel, shocked. "Why?" Siblings should love each other, not want to kill each other.

"Eh…complicated." Said Ragna. "Just know, he wants me dead, that's he's insane, and that he'll do anything to kill me."

"Including hurting me?" Asked Noel. Ragna just turned to her and replied yes.

"And probably worse." Said Ragna, making Noel gulp. Hearing that made Noel fear Jin even more, now knowing that he'll most likely kill her if she got in his way of facing Ragna. Though it did make her wonder what happened between Ragna and his family.

" **What happened to you?"** Thought Noel as they walked to their destination.

 **Meanwhile**

"Hmm…damn." Said Kokonoe as she processed the data she got on Ragna and Noel from their fight with Lambda, her ace in the hole. She wondered if she could use it to improve Lambda's performance in the field. Every advantage is needed if one is to face Terumi after all. Taking a small break from her work, she looked at Lambda, who was in her regeneration tank, sleeping and waiting for her next mission. "Maybe I could…no, that wouldn't work. Perhaps I could have Tager test her later. I'm finished with her latest upgrades and she needs to be tested, anyway. Ah to hell with it. I'll inform Tager about it." She then stopped processing the data and contacted Tager that she was sending Lambda over for a test run and that he was going to help out with it. After getting confirmation, she then readied Lambda for teleportation when she was contacted by someone. "What is it?" Asked Kokonoe, annoyed.

"Pardon me ma'am, but the board wishes to speak to you about something. They said that its urgent." Said someone.

"Just give me a few minutes." Said Kokonoe as she typed in Tager's current coordinates. He could send her the data later.

"They're requesting your presence now, ma'am." Said the same person again. Sighing in irritation, Kokonoe got up and left, but not before inputting Tager's location into the teleporter's mainframe. With the coordinates inputted, Lambda was teleported to Kagutsuchi.

* * *

 **Kagutsuchi**

* * *

In a rather simple park in the upper levels of Kagusuchi, a some dark static and mist appeared until it all disappeared, revealing Lambda without her armor. Upon arriving at her designation, the young girl opened her eyes, a bit confused.

"Designation Tager is nowhere in sight." Said Lambda as she looked around. "Teleportation coordinates must have been altered during transit. Calculating necessary course of action. Calculating. Calculating." As she was repeating these words over and over again, a figure began to approach her.

"Well, well, well. Prime field number 11." Said the figure, causing Lambda to turn around to face the figure. "I'd never thought that you would still be active. And in Sector Seven's possession, no less." Tilting her head, Lambda examined the figure. It was a male who looked around his 40's or 50's. He had short, blond hair and some stubbles on his chin. He wore a mask that concealed his eyes from her. His chosen attire was a bright purple cape and some dress clothing. The man was currently stroking his chin in thought.

"Cannot identify target." Said Lambda, causing the man to chuckle.

"So, Sector Seven made you a soulless attack dog, didn't they?" Asked the man. "…Or perhaps they just found you like this. Hmm…interesting. Well, in either case, I'd be interested in taking a look at you. To see what Sector Seven did to you and just to sate my curiosity, if anything." He then brought out his gloved hand. "Now, dear, would you rather come in peacefully or do I have to do this the hard way." Lambda just starred at the man.

"Unable to comply with unknown identities' request." Said Lambda. "Dialogue suggests that entity is not affiliated with Sector Seven." The man just chuckled at this.

"Right you are, dear. So, it's the hard way then?" Seeing that she wasn't doing anything, made the man smile. "I see. You can't, can you? Not without permission from Sector Seven. A pity. Ignis." With that, a bright pink robotic doll appeared, its face making even Lambda a little uneasy. "Be a dear and subdue number eleven." With blind obedience, the doll rushed toward Lambda, subduing her and carrying her toward the man in a bear hold. "I could learn a great deal from you. Come along Ignis." The two then took off with their prize. As he walked, Relius couldn't help, but think of how lucky he was. He was merely out for a mere stroll when he detected a mechanical teleportation being commenced near his location. Out of curiosity, he stopped whatever was being transferred from reaching it's designation and instead be teleported near him. And what good fortune for him when he saw it was Prime Unit 11. This should help with his research.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"I'm telling you, this is probably the best option." Said Noel as she and Ragna were walking to the Kagutsuchi NOL's branch.

"Yeah, right. Sneaking in with the Grim Reaper, whose known for just barging right in. That'll do it" Ragna said. Noel just looked at him in annoyance as they made their way to the branch's HQ. The two would have continued when Noel suddenly stopped. Upon seeing this, Ragna looked at her. "Something wrong?" Noel just stayed silent as she looked around. "Hey." He tapped her shoulder but got no response. "I'm talking to you!" He tapped her again. Upon getting no response again, he grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. He was about to speak to her again when he saw her eyes, making him stop in shock.

Her eyes were completely blank. He couldn't see her irises at all. All he saw was a soulless expression on her face. It creeped him out a bit. Steeling himself, he began to shake her roughly in order to snap her out of it. Eventually, it worked and Noel snapped out of her trance. Just when she did so, she began to feel nauseous as Ragna continued to shake her.

"Ragna stop!" Said Noel, raising her voice. Upon hearing the request, Ragna stopped and let go, allowing Noel to wobble a bit before steadying herself. Once she completely recovered, she looked at Ragna with annoyance. "What was that about?" Ragna just rose an eyebrow at that.

"You mean you don't remember?" Noel just looked confused at that.

"Remember what?" Surprised to hear this, Ragna just explained what happened a few minutes ago. When he finished explaining, Noel widened her eyes in surprise. "I don't know what came over me. I just…felt something familiar and I just blacked out." Ragna looked at her for a moment, concerned about this, before speaking.

"Do you experience anything like this before?" Noel just hummed to herself as she tried to remember something like this happening before. The only time that she could recall this happening was back when she fought that girl, back when she didn't meet Ragna. When she saw her, she froze up and suddenly her body wasn't her own. They then fought each other, despite Noel not wanting to fight the girl. In the end, the girl beat her because of her insane regeneration ability. She was about to finish her off when Ragna saved her, which allowed her to save his life when the girl was about to toss herself and Ragna into a cauldron.

"Just that one time with that girl at the cauldron. That's about it." Blinking at that, Ragna thought about what that meant.

" **Couldn't be Nu. No way she survived falling into that thing."** Thought Ragna. **"Could it be that other Murakumo unit? If so, why didn't Noel act this way when we first meet her. Is it a sign?"** Sighing to himself, he looked at Noel.

"Its probably nothing. Come on. We got a job to do." Nodding her head, Noel was about to take a step forward when she stopped again, her eyes going blank again. Now suspicious, Ragna was about to grab her when Noel began to run.

"God damnit." Swore Ragna before going after her. To his wonderment, she wasn't going to the NOL HQ's main entrance. She was going…somewhere else, going to the lower levels.

" **Whatever is making her act this way, can't be good. Got to get ready. It could be Terumi for all I know.** " Growling a bit at the thought of Terumi causing this, Ragna steeled himself and focused on perusing Noel, who was starting to get ahead of him by a large margin. Growling, he ran as fast as he could, but Noel, being slimmer and isn't carrying a large sword, was going faster than he could ever be with Blood scythe on his person. He was about to lose her when she suddenly stopped. Catching up, he looked at Noel who was starring at a man and a pink robot going up to the branch's HQ. The robot was carrying a young girl about as old, or perhaps a year older than Noel. Seeing that Noel was starring at the trio, particularly the young girl, Ragna lightly chopped at her head to snap her out of her little episode. The hit knocked Noel out of her state and as she was recovering, Ragna yelled out.

"Hey asshole! Don't you think that's a bit suspicious!" Yelled Ragna as he walked toward them. Hearing Ragna, the man turned to see the wanted man coming up to him. Chuckling a bit, the man stopped and went down the stairs he was taking.

"My, my." Said the man as he walked down to face Ragna, examining him. "This truly is a lucky day for me. Not only did I receive a visit from prime field eleven, but I have the Grim reaper gracing me with his presence." He then looked to see Noel running up to Ragna. Upon seeing Noel, the man smiled. "And even prime field twelve. I truly am blessed with luck today." Chuckling to himself, the man looked at Ragna with interest. "As much as I wish to take your Grimoire," Ragna groaned at that. Just how many people wanted his Grimoire? ", I'm, unfortunately busy at the moment, so we'll have to meet another time." The man was about to leave when he was forced to dodge an attack from Ragna.

"The hell you are! No way in hell am I leaving that girl with you." Said Ragna. He didn't know why, but Ragna had a sneaking suspicion that what the man was planning with the girl wasn't pleasant for her and he was damned if he let anything happen to the chick, even if he didn't know her. The man shook his head at the grim reaper, finding his attack amusing.

"Your instincts are impressive grim reaper, but ultimately forced you into a battle you can't win." He then sighed. "Very well, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll cut you a deal. If you can survive a battle with me for four minutes, then I'll leave prime field eleven with you two." He then snapped his fingers and his doll grabbed some railing from the flight of stairs it was on, ripped them off and used them to trap the girl on a nearby wall. The man then got into a fighting stance. "Before we fight, I'd like to share my name. Its Relius. Relius Clover." Upon hearing that, Noel gasped in shock.

"You're Carl's father, aren't you?" Asked Noel, causing Ragna to look at Noel in shock. This guy was related to the crazy boy? That actually explained a lot about the pink robot.

"Correct, I take it you saw my foolish son recently?" Asked Relius. Upon hearing that, Noel looked at Relius in shock. Before she could say anything, Relius had his doll attack Noel. Before the doll's attack could connect, Ragna pushed her out of the way and fought the doll, who proceeded to fight the grim reaper.

As Noel saw the two fight, she brought out her pistols and was about to fire them when she was kicked by Relius. Going to the ground, she yelped when Relius brought down a mechanical hand on her. Rolling out of the way, she kicked the man in the shin before firing her pistols. Acting quickly, the man used the mechanical arm as a shield. Before the arm could break from the repeated shots from the Nox Nyctores, Relius jumped up. As he was falling, he summoned a puppet-like hand and launched it at Noel, who was standing up. Dodging the attack, Noel was unable to dodge the other attack when Relius landed and knocked her off her feet. He then summoned another mechanical arm and had it punch her so hard that she flew and hit a wall, creating a crater. While Noel was recovering from that attack, Relius focused his attention on Ragna, who had just finished Ignis, his doll. Enraged to see Noel's state, Ragna charged at Relius, who simply chuckled. As Ragna threw a Hell's Fang at Relius, the man dodged and tried to counterattack, only for Ragna to grab his mechanical arm and retched it from his person. Humming in interest, Relius continued to dodge as Ragna threw attack after attack at him. Ragna growled as Relius dodged another of his attacks, raising his ire.

" **Damn this guy!"** Thought Ragna as he launched an Inferno divider, which was sidestepped easily by Relius. **"I know this guy can attack so why isn't he?"** Ragna then sensed danger behind him and dived to the left. Just in time too as a drill was thrusted to where he used to be. Looking back as he got up, Ragna saw to doll back up. Swearing, Ragna was about to fight both of them when Ignis was suddenly hit with a barrage of bullets. Wanting to conserve his doll, Relius had her teleport to safety, leaving him alone for the time being. Both men looked to see Noel up and walking toward Ragna, battered but still capable of fighting. Stroking his chin, Relius looked at his watch.

"I have enough time for one more move. It seems that you'll get the girl, after all. But," Relius then smirked. "That doesn't mean that I can't have any fun with that one last move." With that, Relius charged at the two. Noel fired at him, but the man moved to quickly for her to get a good shot. Once he was near them, he slammed his hands to the ground. Before the two could do anything, various cogs and gears appeared before them and started to slam into them. Once the barrage was done, Relius jumped out of the war before the two could recover and counterattack. Seeing the damage, he done, Relius was impressed to see the two still standing. Ragna, as he predicted, was just pissed. A bit bruised, but was still in find condition. Noel, however, impressed him more as she was still standing. Panting and her hands were on her knees, but still on her feet. He honestly expected her to be on the ground unconscious, but it appears he was wrong.

" **Then again,"** Thought Relius. **"She does have the true blue, after all. I shouldn't really be surprised. However, with her in Ragna's care, we need to adjust the plan a bit. I need to inform Terumi of this. For now, though, they should relish in their spoils."** Dusting his coat, Relius spoke up.

"As promised the girl is yours." Said Relius. "Enjoy this victory while you can because it'll be the last one you will enjoy before the big finale." Before the two could ask what he meant, Ignis appeared before Relius and took him away, taking him to god knows were. Now that the threat was gone, Noel went to her knees, exhausted and beat up. Seeing this, Ragna helped her up.

"Did me to help stand?" Asked Ragna in concern as Noel looked at him with her emerald-like eyes. The girl just nodded as Ragna helped her over to the girl, who had watched the short fight. Placing Noel somewhere close by, Ragna removed the girl's bonds and helped her to her feet. "You okay?" The girl just looked at Ragna with a blank expression, not showing any emotions at all, freaking him out a bit.

" **Oh, don't tell me she's one of those."** Thought Ragna as the girl continued to stare at him with a blank expression. **"Crap she is. God damnit."** Knowing that he had to get Noel some medical help and to get this girl someplace safe, he grabbed Noel and held her bridal style, which caused Noel to burn bright red, and motioned for the girl to follow him, which she did after some prodding. As they made their way to Litchi, Ragna wondered about Relius and what the hell is he planning.

" **Is he working with Terumi? If so, what's his goal?"** That thought continued to plague Ragna as the three made their way to the lower parts of Kagutsuchi.


End file.
